Roll with the punches

Despite my most dire financial circumstances at the moment, I have been feeling great about life lately. I'm about two months behind on my cell phone bill, am never quite sure if I'm going to have enough to eat, and my job prospects aren't looking great, but still I'm not stressed about it. Things have a way of working themselves out, and so far I've made it. I discovered long ago if you worry about things all the time, your life tends to actually get worse. So I try to keep a positive attitude, not complain too much, and try to make others happy. In turn, I've received the help I need from friends and family just when I most needed it, and things are going well. I could focus on negative things, but instead I'm thankful for what I have, and not what I don't. I still have a roof over my head. I have an awesome roommate. I'm going to school. I have great friends who love me. I have a great family, and the best sister in the world. I am better off than a lot of people. Of course things could be better, but that would be the case even if I had money. Focus on the positive. Be a positive person. Things will work out.

Grad School

Recently I've been thinking a lot about graduate school. I have an Associate's Degree in Film & Video Production, and hopefully at the end of the Spring 2011 semester I'll have my Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre Arts Performance. After that, I would love to pursue an MFA in Creative Writing. At first, I thought I would just continue at UCO, which is still a possibility, but hopefully I will be able to go somewhere out of state. When I first started thinking about grad school, UCO was really my only choice, and it was a safe choice. But I'm tired of making safe choices, and I feel I deserve a better opportunity. The director of Three Sisters, John Dennis, told me I should apply at the University of Iowa. The voice of doubt crept in immediately, and I thought "I don't know about that, I think I'll just stick with UCO." After some deliberation however, I've decided I'm going to apply to some prestigious Creative Writing programs and see what happens. My top choice is the University of Texas. They have a really great program, but they only accept twelve people a year. Although my chances may be slim, I'm going to at least try. I'll also apply at Iowa and a few other schools, including UCO. It feels good to have set this goal early so I can focus and have time to get everything together and go for it. I love school, and I love to write. It is the one thing I know I'm good at. Ending sentences in prepositions notwithstanding, I know I'm a good writer, and I know deserve to go to a good graduate school. Wish me luck.

Don't Look Back In Anger

Holding onto anger is unhealthy. Holding a grudge against someone doesn't hurt that person, it hurts you. Saying things like "I hate such and such" or "I'll never forgive him/her" just puts a dark spot on your mind/soul that really doesn't have an effect on anyone but you. I understand we all get angry and frustrated, it's human nature, but ideally we can transform that into love and forgiveness. Closing a door on another person is really closing a door in your heart. The pain lingers, festering until it nearly controls you. And what does this do to the other person? Absolutely nothing. Unless you're making it a point to explicitly let them know you hate them, all of this happens in your own mind. Either way, it's kind of a dick move. Forgive. Forget. You don't even have to associate with that person anymore, but let go of the anger. The world will thank you. Love.

Matt Fowler and the Funky Bunch

My final for Improvisational Acting class was last night, and it was by far the best final ever. We did an improv show at Pegasus Theatre, and all the things we learned over the course of the semester came together for what I think was a great show. Everyone brought there A game, and really made me proud.

This crazy part for me was the fact the class decided to name our improv group "Matt Fowler and the Funky Bunch." We've been rehearsing for this show for about three weeks (yes you rehearse in improv), and were having trouble coming up with a name. A few ideas were tossed around like "Kitten Farts" or "Improv'ing the World", but nothing really stuck. Finally last Tuesday, we absolutely had to settle on a name. A few choices were written on the board, and then they asked me what I thought. Looking over the names, I mulled it over and said, "None of the above." I was of course saying I didn't like any of the available choices, but a few people actually really liked the name "None of the Above" as our name. Okay I thought, well that could be a cool name I suppose, and at that point thought it would become the group name.

Later someone in the class says to me, "Matt Fowler, whatever you suggest I'm going to think is a cool name for our improv group." That's cool I thought, and then someone says, "How about Matt Fowler and the Funky Bunch." There was no dissent, a few people actually thought it was a cool idea, and so just like that the name stuck. At first I felt a little strange about it. I'm not usually the type that leads things, or likes to speak in front of people, but having the group named after me made me the de facto leader, and meant I would more than likely have to be the opening emcee for the show.

In the end, it went fine. I got a few laughs with my opening, and the show was a blast. Three years ago I would have never thought I could do something like that. I took Public Speaking as a fast track class so I could get it over with as quickly as possible. I was absolutely terrified of speaking in front of people. Acting is no problem, since you have a partner usually, so you kind of don't really pay attention to the audience. But being up there all alone, speaking directly with the crowd, that was something that send chills down my spine. Last night though, I embraced it. It was just another part of the old me crumbling down. That person who was always too afraid to actually live his life. So thank you to each and every member of the Funky Bunch who believed enough in me to let me do that. It means a lot.

Run Run Rudolph

Every Sunday I go to Earlywine Park in South OKC, and run with my friend Sean. We're doing this to train for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5K run on October 10th. The trail around Earlywine park is 1.5 miles, and tonight was the first time I made it all the way around the trail once running the whole time. As you may or may not know, 5 kilometers is 3.1 miles. So basically I need to be able to make it around the trail twice. I'm halfway there, but time is running out. It's time to step up my training. Once a week is not going to cut it. I've been doing some cardio during the week, but now I'm going to throw in some runs as well. I need to continually build up my stamina so I'll be ready on race day. My goal is to be able to run the whole time, and not stop to walk. By the way, this is the first 5K race I've ever participated in. I've got some good support, and am really looking forward to it. I got my race packet in the mail yesterday with my shirt and race number, so now it's official and I am officially excited!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road

On Wednesday, I had the opportunity to see The Wizard of Oz on the big screen. I have always loved TWOO; I have fond childhood memories of watching it annually when it came on TV. I own the DVD. So when I learned they were showing it in theaters for the film's 70th anniversary, I just knew I had to be a part of it. For me, watching a movie on the silver screen, isn't necessarily about the movie so much as it's about the communal experience. I've seen the Wizard of Oz a million times, and will probably see a million more, but to sit in a crowded theater amongst complete strangers, and to hear their reactions is a beautiful thing. I laughed with them. I cried with them. We all let out a collective "awwww" when some kid started crying when Miss Gulch took Toto away from Dorothy. It was a great experience, and I'm glad I didn't miss it.

An Eventful Day

Today was quite a full day. It started with me driving down to Pauls Valley. I went there to meet with the lady I'm designing a website for. We drove all around the area, and I took a lot of photos of various landmarks for use on her website. We ended up eating lunch at the Wynnewood Steakhouse where there were cast iron skillets all over the walls. I'll be writing about that experience for my Creative Writing class. On my way back to Oklahoma City, I stopped in Norman at my friend Mindie's house. We're writing a play together, and we discussed days we are going to meet to get the damn thing finished. All in all it was a productive day, and I had a good time in the process. It's always good to have fun while you're getting things done.